No longer a national priority to keep schools open

[noelgiraffe]

The government has surreptitiously dropped its priority to keep schools open.

It has replaced it with a priority to “keep education open”.

Remote learning is now a viable alternative to keeping schools open (as opposed to last Monday when it was a matter for the high court).

In the DfE media blog, tweeted earlier today regarding the delayed start to term in January they say:

“ Is this an extension of the Christmas holiday?

No, this isn’t an extension of the holiday and we haven’t asked that the start of term is delayed.

All students will return to education from the first day of term. Secondary school and college students should learn remotely for one week except those in exam years, vulnerable young people and the children of critical workers. It remains our national priority to keep education open and we are not closing education for any period other than during the set holiday periods.”

Interesting development.

@YouSetTheTone

I’m in tears reading this. My children NEED an education that they simply don’t get from online learning. I nearly had a nervous breakdown juggling work, childcare and online learning in March. I won’t do it again so I’ll most likely lose my job (DH earns more than me). It’s easy to see how this would create a poverty spiral and an education gap between the children who either go to private schools or have one SAHP plus the appropriate level of internet access. I can absolutely see that online learning will be back in January. I really don’t know how vast swathes of parents and children are going to cope with this.

This is why I don’t think the speculation is helpful

YouSet

@TheHoneyBadger

They actually pay people to come up with this shit eg. start saying education, not school. A bunch of overpaid arseholes will have sat around brainstorming with french pastries to come up with that one.

I agree with you 100%. About the pastries and what you called them. But, by God, it works. Millions believe it. I have incredibly well educated friends who genuinely believe that all students now have laptops and almost mistrust me when I gently point out they don’t.

@Hellotheresweet

It’s like your actively pursuing a change in policy.

That just isn’t there.

Could be come in. But not now.

Actively pursuing a change in policy with all my power and influence? 😂

Policy has changed. Secondary schools will be closed in January nationally for a week. I'm now planning online learning and live lessons and provision for keyworkers.

Maybe it's only teachers who have noticed this is a massive departure from previous policy because they're the only ones currently having to deal with it? And in January it will hit the public consciousness?

And you've got Matt Hancock doing a tour of the media talking about mass testing in schools in January that will enable a safe return.

Ignoring the point that this mass testing by schools who will need to set up a covid testing site over Christmas is opt in, and many, many schools have opted out, with the support of all the education unions. What then, when the mass testing isn't available?

@SansaSnark I know, you're probably right. But I'm just so sad at how much the younger generation have lost, the damage they have taken and they'll be paying from the economic fall out. Honestly breaks my heart.

Half the problem parents will be faced with is that some screamed so loudly about how they didn't get proper education in the first lockdown and nothing less than all schools open full time was acceptable but if they couldn't have that then they demand full schedules of zoom lessons and full curriculum offer etc that all of us parenta will now have five hours of education to have to try and get our kids to conform to when kids aren't capable of 5 hours education a day independently and they don't even need it.

I've already recorded a couple of year 7 lessons for the first week back - I'm trying to make them long/in depth/tasked enough to satisfy the braying 'must be the equivalent of full time school' parent brigade whilst trying desperately to make them relatively quick and easy for the poor kids because realistically they can't do more concentrated screen time and work than someone doing a phd with the open university would task themselves with. And also trying to make it simple for parents even if they don't know themselves that simple is going to make their lives easier.

We are in this mess because nothing but schools open full time for all was acceptable and the government bought into that.

It's an international pandemic in a society with a sky high cost of living but stagnated wages and households dependent on two full time incomes and massively underfunded, overcrowded, understaffed schools and likewise an nhs with very little wiggle room. Realistic compromises with people listening to schools about what they could actually offer and how they could ensure 'good enough' consistent education under the circumstances would have gotten us through and would have gone a long way to mitigating the levels of community spread and the number of businesses that had to be thrown under the bus.

I understand that some schools didn't give enough but we had a good balance but are now being forced to thrust unrealistic amounts upon kids and ultimately their parents.

If parents could have put their big pants on and accepted that rotas were the best it could be they'd have an easier time of it coming up. Half time in school with teachers covering the work and some consolidation and showing evidence of learning to be done at home. Way less stressful for parents and teenagers and way more educationally effective. But no people wanted all or nothing

Sorry lost control of my grammar and spelling in that rant. Also: people who lightly throw around the phrases, "I'm heartbroken" or " my heart literally breaks" have clearly never had their hearts broken.

Thank you @MarshaBradyo

I do empathise with arguments for schools being closed btw. I don’t necessarily agree with them but I do understand that it’s a very very difficult situation.
Isn’t it also worth bearing in mind that school closures doesn’t mean happy Waltons style scenes where children are kept safely at home smiling at their mothers who are switching in between zoom calls for them while baking sourdough bread. Many of them will go and mix with their friends regardless won’t they? (Obviously I mean secondary school pupils in the main).

Many of them will go and mix with their friends regardless won’t they? (Obviously I mean secondary school pupils in the main).

Some would, no doubt. But not 200 at a time, all day, like they are in school.

@TheHoneyBadger

Sorry lost control of my grammar and spelling in that rant. Also: people who lightly throw around the phrases, "I'm heartbroken" or " my heart literally breaks" have clearly never had their hearts broken.

Nonsense. I am heartbroken when I see vulnerable kids, but who don't always meet the criteria to come to school during closures, miss out on the vital support school gives them. Kids fall between the cracks. I see more and more working families who don't qualify for help really struggling and this will make life harder. That breaks my heart.

Or we have households so on the brink of poverty and workers with so few rights that a few days of one earner having to take time off to look after their children could break them?

I had five months of both my DH and I taking time off to look after our kids, it’s a few days right now on top of 5 months of flexibility. While it was very difficult, we managed to keep things covered but my employer was hugely flexible - but my performance at work took a hit and has only just recovered, for me to start the whole homeschooling juggle again. There’s a point at which employers need their staff to reliably be in work.

I do however agree we should’ve asking what the fell is happening with kids being left in abusive, neglectful homes regardless of whether school is in - but folk don’t want to pay more tax to adequately fund social work departments or social care services. It’s not a vote winner.

Year groups of 240 queuing for lunch and hanging out together in breaks and using the same toilets all day long. Don't know what your neighbourhood is like but I wouldn't see groups of youngsters anything like that around here or anywhere else I've lived.

Jelly I'm absolutely not saying that that is right - I'm saying the opposite! But I'm saying that schools can't be the sticking plaster that covers that up (we are usually) in the midst of an international crisis without any extra funding or space or staff etc.

Those vulnerable kids will be at home for 2 weeks now without the support of school and 2 weeks at Easter and 6 weeks in the summer. School can't and shouldn't be their only source of support.

The reliance on schools to patch up all the problems in society is a major part of the problem here.

Previously, when schools were open, but we were in tier 3, cases dropped. It was economically painful and placed a burden of risk on teachers, but it worked. If this is no longer the case, due to the new variant having a higher R, or due to the winter effect, then a rethink is needed.

Politicians are so slimy, they won't come out and say it straight away, they will just use their weasle words and say, "We never promised you that exact thing" It's like when they say "We have no intention of...." before an election, and then do it anyway afterwards, then say, "We weren't lying, we had no intention of doing (whatever) at the time we said it. "

They’ll be home for 4 weeks in Scotland- and schools aren’t the sole source of support, far from it but school is somewhere that adults reliably have eyes on these kids and provides a safe space to many kids who aren’t safe at home.

I agree too much reliance is placed on schools to cover a multitude of supports but they’re not the only ones doing it.

"Prof Whitworth says: ‘The two most important risk factors for catching Covid are lack of ventilation and crowding. The more air you are sharing with others, the more likely you are to catch it.’"

its as simple as that. We can ventilate schools but cannot stop the crowding.

Op

You started a speculative thread that given how high some people’s levels of stress is at the moment is irresponsible.

I know - no one gives a shit about them generally. I consoled myself that maybe people are unaware of how non existent social services intervention has become or how many children were being left in unsuitable homes with known child abusers. Now they all appear to know and want to talk about it but only to say that those kids need to be in school! Like school fixes being raped or beaten or not fed at home. How can society think that's ok or that school is the fix for things like that?

Sorry. I need to step away and do some breathing. Hearing people bandy on about the poor vulnerable kids suddenly because it suits their agenda makes me feel ill. If anything was going to 'break my heart' it would be actually working with those kids and knowing what I'm having to send them home to and knowing no one gives a shit and social services are 'aware' and cyncial fuckers on the internet are using their stories to further their own cause but not actually campaigning for social services to rescue kids living in situations like that.

Breaks my heart...

@Jellycatspyjamas

They’ll be home for 4 weeks in Scotland- and schools aren’t the sole source of support, far from it but school is somewhere that adults reliably have eyes on these kids and provides a safe space to many kids who aren’t safe at home.

I agree too much reliance is placed on schools to cover a multitude of supports but they’re not the only ones doing it.

We have eyes on them and tell everyone they're not safe but no one gives a fuck. Those eyes do nothing for them other than cement the idea in their head that what is happening at home must be ok because school knows, social worker knows and no one is doing anything.

Sorry this is probably a bit too close to home for me - I worked in my early 20's in a secure psychiatric unit for teenage girls with 'behaviour' problems who were actually traumatised out of any chance of normal development by abuses that I wish I didn't even know existed. It's criminal that we allow young people to remain in the kind of homes we do and that I deal with pre teens with horrendous behaviour issues because they were so seriously neglected as infants that their development was fucked from the start.

Crude language and very blunt talk - I really am sorry. Will try and step back a bit.

Schools and colleges will remain open during term time in Tier 4 areas

So they’re clearly not expecting Tier 4 to end on 30th December then.

@Hellotheresweet

Op

You started a speculative thread that given how high some people’s levels of stress is at the moment is irresponsible.

Sure. My levels of stress having to deal with DfE chopping and changing messaging and dropping stupid initiatives on schools at the last minute are just super. No one, however, should be allowed to discuss this because some people just want bland reassurance and a fingers-in-ears approach.

Discussing how the government messaging and actions have changed within a week with massive impact on my job doesn't make me irresponsible.

That’s a bit unfair. Ive worked with vulnerable children - I absolutely would not use people to point score.
It’s utterly heartbreaking for many people 😢